‘Ulysses by James Joyce is considered one of the
most important works in modern English
literature. Set in Dublin and covering a period
of 24 hours from the morning of June 16, 1904 to
the early hours of June 17, Ulysses is widely
believed to be Joyce's tribute to the classical
figure of Homer's Odysseus whom he admired as
the most well rounded portrait of a human being
in literature. Ulysses enjoys a number of
similarities, both implicit and explicit, with
Homer's work.
However,
unlike The Odyssey, the action in Ulysses is
on a scale much smaller than in Homer's work.
Some of the events chronicled in these 24
hours correspond to real events and episodes
from Joyce's life. It is also believed that
Joyce meticulously researched historical
references, newspaper reports and descriptions
of the environment and places included in
Ulysses. It is a tribute to Joyce and his
creation of the character of Leopold Bloom,
whose passage across Dublin he chronicles in
these 24 hours, that Joyce fans across the
world celebrate June 16 as 'Bloomsday'.
Ulysses was first
serialized in the American journal The Little
Review between March 1918 and December 1920
and then published in its entirety in Paris in
1922. Joyce's use of the stream of
consciousness technique, rich characterisation
and humour make Ulysses one of the highly
regarded works in modern English writing.
Joyce's other works
include Dubliners, The Portrait of an Artist
as a Young Man and Finnegans Wake.
